Theatre with a side of life
Reviewed by Kevin Porter Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents DANCE NATION. Dreams. Hopes. Desires. Needs. Is there ever a time where these concerns are of greater import than age 13? The required casting of actors all across the age spectrum in Dance Nation made me think Clare Barron believes these concerns are just as towering, dramatic, and exciting at each point of ...
Chicago Tap Theatre presented TIDINGS FOR TAP. For one performance only on December 15th, the holiday season was celebrated with joy, reverence and dance.TIDINGS FOR TAP split the show into four parts: winter, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Each segment paid tribute to its seasonal essences. Although the primary focus was tap, the talented Dasha ...
Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to present THE RUFFIANS’ BURNING BLUEBEARD. I’ve enjoyed this whimsical show on a couple occasions (2014 , 2011 ). It’s magical! The subject matter doesn’t easily lend itself to an uplifting theatrical experience. The 1903 Chicago Iroquois Theatre fire killed 600 people, mostly women and children. Yet, Playwright Jay Torrence tells ...
The House Theatre of Chicago presents its yuletide tradition, NUTCRACKER. I love this show! In fact, it is my seventh time (2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010 ) experiencing this innovative take on E.T.A. Hoffman's famous tale of a young girl's relationship with a nutcracker. The creative team of Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich, Kevin O'Donnell and Tommy Rapley took Hoffman's ...
The Second City presents its 108th Mainstage Revue, DO YOU BELIEVE IN MADNESS? I do believe in madness. And I know we’ve been living in it for the last few years. A daily sh#tshow is originating from the White House. The constant ferocity is hitting Americans like a never-ending, category 6 hurricane. I preface the political ...
Broadway in Chicago presents LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS. John Leguizamo is a comedian, stage/movie/television actor and writer. From a “Foo Wong” drag queen to a diminutive “Moulin Rouge” artist to an “Ice Age” sloth, Leguizamo’s talents have been showcased in his broad and diverse portfolio. Currently, Leguizamo is performing in his Tony Award nominated ...
Porchlight Music Theatre presents SUNSET BOULEVARD. Based on Billy Wilder’s Academy Award-winning film, the tale focuses on Norma Desmond, a silent movie icon. Although Norma has been out of the Hollywood spotlight for twenty years, she is ready to return to the screen, her fans and stardom. When Norma coerces a struggling screenwriter to ...
Rough House Theatre presents THE SILENCE IN HARROW HOUSE. HARROW HOUSE is not a traditional or typical haunted house. It doesn’t rely on scaring its guests with familiar Halloween paranormal theatrics. Instead, HARROW HOUSE is more about the long fright. Guests are greeted in the bohemian-style lounge in Chopin Theatre’s lower level. Victor Adler, a life-size puppet, ...
Goodman Theatre presents BERNHARDT/HAMLET. It is 1899. Legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt is producing “Hamlet” and casting herself in the lead. Playwright Theresa Rebeck imagines the complications of this moment in theatre history. Bernhardt is 55, struggling financially and forcing her married lover to adapt Shakespeare’s play. The real life story intrigues. A turn-of-the-century woman refusing to ...
Idle Muse Theatre Company presents EQUIVOCATION. Playwright Bill Cain blurs the lines between fact and fiction, onstage and offstage, history and real time in this Shakespearean mash-up. The Bard has been royally commissioned to write a play about the powder keg assassination attempt on the King. The problem is this isn’t about history. The treasonous ...